


Seeds of Hope

by invisible_aliens



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [1]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Carry On Countdown 2018, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Post book AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 05:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_aliens/pseuds/invisible_aliens
Summary: Penny convinces Simon to get a job at a local florist in the hope that it will give him something do to. Baz is an unexpected customer.Post-Carry On AU, everything is the same except Simon and Baz didn't get together.Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018, Day 1: Flower Shop AU





	Seeds of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know anything about flower shops, sorry. I don't think it will matter though unless you're some kind of expert.

**PENNY**

I've been living with Simon for eight weeks now, and I've woken up before him every day. I wouldn't be worried if it were Agatha, but Simon's always been an early riser. (Even if only because he wants breakfast.)

It's been getting worse and worse. So the last few days I've cooked a proper breakfast for him, complete with sour cherry scones and piles of butter, in the hope that the smell might waft down the hallway and end his slumber. (This morning is the first time I'm actually completely happy with how the scones have turned out.) But it's still a big effort to get him up every time.

At 11, I knock on his door. (At school, it was always Simon telling me how 11 am is not a reasonable wake up time.) There's no answer. I give him another hour before I go in. He's curled up in a ball under his blankets.

“Simon,” I say, “if you don't get up soon the scones will go stale.”

“Scones?” he mumbles, poking his head out of his cocoon.

I nod. Ten minutes later, he's sitting at the kitchen table while we wait for the microwave to warm up his breakfast.

“I think we've got to find something for you to do,” I say.

“What can I do? I don't even have magic any more. I’m useless.”

“There are lots of things you can do. You care about people, and you help them, and you're brave.” I hesitate. “What if you got a job?”

He frowns. “What kind of job?”

“Well, why don't we put your CV together and have a look online at what jobs are available nearby.”

It's a little hard to translate some of his magical experiences into something we can put on a resume for a Normal job, but we make do. We say he's been a school representative, and helped improve Watford as a school and helped create a stronger and more supportive community. Which is sort of true, with defeating the Humdrum and all that. (Even if the Humdrum was him…) And anyway, Mum can support all our claims if they decide to actually check with the school.

We have a look on an employment website, and the only job in our area that Simon seems willing to apply for is at a local florist, who are looking for extra staff. We send in his CV, and wait.

 

**SIMON**

The florist must have been rather desperate, because they reply the next day with an offer to start the next week. Penny's more excited than I am. “You're going to get a job! And get paid!” (Actually, maybe she's just relieved she won't have to cover all the rent and food costs by herself.) I'm not as convinced it's going to be as rewarding as she thinks.

I wake up on the morning of my first day, and realise that I'm actually nervous. I want this to work out.

Penny makes sure I look nice (they don't have a uniform), spells my wings and tail invisible, and drives me down to the florist.

“Good luck!” she says, giving me a hug. “I'll see you this evening.”

The owner of the florist is a tall and intimidating man named Marcus.

“You must be Simon,” he says, not unkindly.

“I'm usually out the back putting bunches together. You'll be out the front, with Sarah,” here he gestured to a young woman who was talking on the phone to a customer. “Sarah is also on deliveries, though, and isn't always around, so you will often be the only one out here serving customers.”

The florist was surprisingly busy, and there was a lot to do. Sarah helped me find my way around and explaining what normally went on, and let Marcus do the deliveries for the day so I didn't have to stay in the shop on my own on my first day.

It was good to talk to people, people who didn't see as the Chosen One, but just some guy in a shop. And Penny was right, it does feel good to be doing something.

It's all going well, until the bell dings to indicate a customer's coming in, and Baz walks in.

 

 

**BAZ**

I think Daphne secretly doesn't like living in an old and dark mansion, because she's always trying to cheer the place up a bit. And part of that involves decorating the house with flowers, which she often sends me to buy from a nearby florist.

I enter the shop, and almost stop in shock when I see Snow behind the counter, but I manage to not let it show too much and keep walking.

“Snow,” I say, “fancy seeing you here.”

It's good to see him, actually. I've been wondering how he's been going, but I'm not exactly the person he wants to hear from. (Also, I missed him. Missed his presence in the room with me every night.)

Snow stands there with his mouth open in shock. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Sarah, the woman I normally buy the flowers from, is standing near Snow, and I here her gasp in shock.

“Buying flowers. I could ask you the same question.”

“I… I work here. I've got a job.” He smiles proudly.

“Good to hear,” I say, turning to Sarah, “now, today I just want the usual order, please.”

She nods, and heads back into to the storeroom to collect them, leaving me with Snow.

“How are you coping? Without your magic,” I ask, keeping quiet in case Sarah overhears. (Although I doubt she'd believe I meant real magic anyway.)

Snow blinks, surprised by the question. I guess he's just not used to me actually caring about his well being. (Visibly caring, anyway.) I think he's too surprised to even try lying.

“It's shit,” he says, and I think he's about to start crying, but Sarah comes in.

“Here you go,” she says, handing me the flowers. Simon blinks a few times and takes a deep breath.

“Thank you, Sarah,” I say, “Snow.”

Seeing Snow admit how's he going has just made me worry about him more. My stomach churns the whole home.

 

 

**SIMON**

 “So you know Baz?” Sarah asks when he's gone.

“Unfortunately.”

“You know, it's not our usual practice to swear at our customers.”

“I'm sorry! He's just really not someone I wanted to see again. It won't happen again. I'm not going to lose my job, am I?” (Penny would kill me if I didn't even last a day.)

Sarah shakes her head. “It's okay, I know it can be hard sometimes. How do you know him, anyway?”

“We were roommates at high school together. For eight whole years! We've never gotten along. He's done some pretty horrible things to me over the years. I'd hoped I'd seen the last of him.” I sigh.

“Really? I always thought he seemed really nice.”

“Our families didn't exactly get along. I don't think he could ever look past that. And he tried to steal my girlfriend!”

She frowns. “He seemed friendly enough to you today, maybe he's trying to be better. And are you sure he wanted your girlfriend?”

“Yes! She even broke up with me over it.”

Sarah looks unconvinced. “I asked him out once, you know. And he said ‘sorry, you're lovely, but I'm not into girls that way.’”

Baz is _gay_?

“He's gay? Why was he so keen to split us up then?” (Also, I'm not sure Baz would appreciate her telling me that. Not that I'd use it against him or anything.)

Sarah looks like she's going to say something, but doesn't, and shrugs instead.

I don't tell Penny about seeing Baz, because I don't want her to worry. And apart from that, I did have a good day. Penny cooks us roast beef to celebrate (her cooking skills have really improved since we first moved in together.)

“I'm glad it went well, and that you're getting along with the other staff. It would be good for you to make some new friends, you've always been happier the more friends you have.”

 

The next week, Baz comes in again, but I'm alone this time.

“Hey,” I say. Even if we're fighting, it doesn't normally feel this awkward between us.

“I came to pick up the weekly flowers,” he says.

(Why can't he get them delivered like most of the regular customers do? It's not really that much more expensive. Then I wouldn't have to see him.)

I bring the flowers for him.

“I'm sorry you lost your magic,” he says. It's weird, hearing him say something actually nice to me. “And I'm sorry I gave you a hard time at Watford.”

I don't know how to respond, and he's left before I think of something.

 

 

**BAZ**

I always hated the way I loved him. The way I could never be as _good_ as him. (Even if his manners are disgusting.)

But in the end, he ended up just as messed up as me. And I can't do it anymore. I can't throw insults at him when he's this miserable.

Because he doesn't deserve it. (He never deserved it.)

I go back the florist the next day, but it must not be his day. A woman I don't know serves me, and I buy a single bunch before leaving.

 

 

**SIMON**

I get used to seeing Baz. He comes in every week, and there's something comforting about the predictableness of it. He's been a lot friendlier recently. (Which is nice, but also weird.) We've even had some vaguely normal conversations, about going to uni and jobs. (Baz is at the London School of Economics, the wanker. And apparently he's been teaching some violin on the side for money, even though I bet his family would pay for anything he needs anyway.) (I really can't imagine him as a violin teacher. His students must be terrified of him.)

One Monday, it's almost closing time, but Baz hasn't turned up. He's come every Monday for the last three months, and his absence feels strange. He has to come. (He always does.)

Just before I've given up hope and are about to close up, I hear the tell tale sound of the door. I look up, and am relieved to see Baz.

“Baz!” I say, “you're late!”

“Not too late, I hope.”

“No,not at all.”

I grab my bag when I'm getting the flowers, because I'm leaving as well. Which leads to this awkward moment where we're both walking out of the shop.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asks.

I shrug. Penny's working late tonight, so we haven’t got anything planned. “Nothing much.”

“Why don't you come and get dinner with me? Then we could catch up properly.”

At first I want to accuse him of plotting, but it seems a bit ridiculous at this point. “Okay,” I say. “Where were you thinking of?”

In the end, we order some pizza and sit on the grass in a nearby park.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I ask. “I thought you hated me.”

He nibbles on his pizza slice. (He still seems to hate eating in front of people.)

“I don't hate you. I just… you had everything, you know? You had a destiny. A destiny to be good.”

“And what, you're just a vampire?”

He flinches, and I regret bringing it up. “Yeah,” he says quietly.

“But it turns out that you didn't really have all that. The Mage turned against you, your girlfriend dumped you, and it turned out you were the evil you were meant to defeat, and now you've lost your magic.”

It's my turn to flinch. “Did you have to put it like that?” I say.

“Sorry,” he says. “But that's just it, Simon. That stuff wasn't what made you special. You're special anyway. Anyway can be the Chosen One. That's just doing what you're told. But you did what you had to do, not what you were told,and gave your magic. That's hard.”

There's a cool breeze, and we've instinctively leaned together for warmth.

“You called me Simon,” I say.

He smiles nervously. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

I think about what he's said,and how he called me Simon. I think about Sarah telling me he's gay, and the weird look she gives me every time I mention Baz.

And I lean forward and kiss him. I don't think he was expecting it, but it takes him barely a moment before he wraps an arm around me and pulls me close.

It feels so good. It's better than roast beef and magic and even sour cherry scones. (Okay, I'm not so sure about that last one.)

I'm out of breath when we break apart.

“Wow,” he breathes, “that was even better than I imagined.”

“You've imagined this?”

He smiles. “Way too many times.”

“Do you want to do it again?” I ask.

He nods.

 

 

**BAZ**

I never thought Simon might want to kiss me back. We'd got to a point where I was hoping we would be friends, but I never thought I'd actually get _this_.

It's getting late, so I give him a lift home so he doesn't have to catch the bus.

“See you soon?” he says hopefully as he gets out of the car.

“Of course! I've got your phone number now. And your address,” I say, nodding to his apartment.

He laughs.

“Hey before you go,” I say, “take this.”

I give him one of the bunches of flowers. Purple tulips. Daphne won't mind.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, grinning. He gives me a quick goodbye kiss before I leave.

It's the best I've felt in a long time.

 

 

**PENNY**

Simon's still awake when I get home, and there is a bunch of flowers sitting in a vase on the table. Considering he works at a florist, you'd think this wouldn't be surprising, but he never brings flowers home.

“Where are those from?” I ask.

“Umm… Baz.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Baz?”

He blushes. “He regularly visits the shop. He's a lot better than he used to be.”

“And he gave you _flowers?”_ (I'm surprised Simon hasn't accused Baz of some kind of plotting.)

“Well… I think we kinda went on a date? And… We kissed.”

(This _really_ isn't what I had in mind when I suggested Simon get a job.)

He looks really nervous. I think he thinks I'm going to scold him.

“That's great, Simon. I said you needed more friends. And this works, too.”

I pull him in for a hug, and I can feel him release the tension as he relaxes.

 

 

**SIMON**

“You were right,” I say to Sarah. “Baz is gay.”

“She frowns slightly, and narrows her eyes. “You've been talking to him, have you?”

“Actually, I… We've started dating.”

She blinks. “Wow. I'd suspected he might feel something for you, but you'd been so adamant you hated him!”

I shrug. “Our high school was pretty full on. Neither of us had a very good time. But in the end, it gave me good friends, or one, at least. And even though I didn't know it at the time, it gave me Baz.”

I put a bunch of purple tulips in the window.


End file.
